


home is where the heart is

by topazblue



Category: Free!
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-02-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:23:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22870195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/topazblue/pseuds/topazblue
Summary: inside, she is safe in his arms.
Relationships: Matsuoka Gou & Nanase Haruka, Matsuoka Gou/Nanase Haruka
Comments: 8
Kudos: 30





	home is where the heart is

It is snowing, snowflakes descend from the winter sky, soft like cotton clouds as they land on the ground. The snow glints under the moon, smooth and untouched, and it grows with the night.

The air is harsh, circulating alongside the wind.

But Gou is at home and away from the cold. She is sitting upright and her legs are warm under the kotatsu. The light is dim, the radio softly hums and the moonlight oozes into the living room. The steam of hot tea dilutes and whirls around her, she takes a sip and it is fresh on her tongue.

On the table, is his photo album and it is peeling at the edges, the once pristine cream has now faded into a muted yellow. Some pages are loose and bent, and there are pages missing.

Still, it has managed to survive this long.

Gou looks at the photos and her fingers glide over, tracing faces. She recognises familiar faces of him, his parents, and their friends - glued and immortalised. She swallows another sip of her tea, and hears the door grunt. He enters, and along with him, so does the winter's chill.

"I'm home," his voice seeps through the walls, and cements into her ears.

"Welcome home." Gou replies.

Haru enters the living room and he sees Gou drinking tea and comfortable under the kotatsu, with the radio on. His cerulean eyes notices her focus is elsewhere - specifically, at his scrappy-looking photo album.

"Gou?"

She raises her head towards him, and she cannot help but think, _he looks pretty adorable_. The cold has kissed his cheeks with a tint, rose red. The snow has latched onto his hair, speckles of white dotted against a black canvas.

"What?" he asks, when she stares at him in silence.

"You look cute," she grins, and taps the space beside her, wordlessly inviting him.

Haru scoffs, nevertheless a subtle smile plays on his face. Gou scoots to the side and he joins her, the crisp outside radiates from his body. But this does not deter her, instead, she moves nearer to him and their arms embrace. His body melts into the warmth, his bones unwind and become loose, soaking in the heat.

Gou offers him her tea and he drinks - the liquid is home in a cup. He studies her face and she is absorbed with the photos. With featherlight fingers, he reaches for her hair, dangling, and places the stray piece behind her ear. She breaks away from her focus and looks at him with a smile, a cherry blush marks her face.

The radio continues to pursue, like a broken record and the moonlight still, dances in the room.

"Where did you find that?" he questions.

"In a storage box," she answers, resting her head against his broad chest, his chin grazes her head.

"You know, you haven't changed at all," Gou remarks, with a chuckle.

Haru raises his brow, he huffs and his breath is hot against her head, and his lack of answer tells her to continue.

"You're never smiling in any of the photos."

"Too much effort," he retorts.

Gou snorts and says "Yep, you haven't changed at all..."

He sighs, and his eyes regard the photos - familiar faces, some have grown alongside him, some have aged, and some have passed. Yet, the memories are unchanged and secured, he will remember, for as long as he can.

"Though, I never said it was a bad thing." She brings him out of his muse, his lips hover over her scarlet hair, and she feels the trace of a smile.

Gou turns the page and her eyes lock onto a familiar photo - a photo of them - of when the boys had won their first swimming medley.

"Oh, I never knew you had a copy?" she looks at the photo, the top left corner is crinkled and chipped, marked with tiny indents.

Haru does not say anything, but Gou knows.

"I remember that day," she whispers. "I can't believe it's been twelve years."

She studies her younger self, she was shorter and her hair was in the ponytail that had become her go-to, up until her nineteenth birthday. Years have passed, things have changed, but she is happy.

"Me too, it was the first time we'd met," Haru replies, he sounds smooth, like velvet and she can never seem to have enough.

"I see that you were staring at me," Gou smirks. She places her finger on the child whose eyes hold the ocean. His awareness is not on the camera, but instead, the little girl.

"You caught my attention," he says.

"Mine too."

She angles her face to meet his and their eyes sync, his head inches closer to her, until they are a breath away from -

\- her eyes drift shut and she closes the gap, lips touching.

The night has become colder, the snow, heavier and the wind, stronger.

But inside, she is safe in his arms.

**Author's Note:**

> edited: 03/08/20


End file.
